I thought ‘Flat-Earthers’ were a joke

A little more to my previous point on understanding each other, and understanding in general: I thought that when people joked about ‘Flat-Earthers’ they were using the term metaphorically in some way, to mean, ‘people so ill-informed that they might still believe the earth is flat’. Well, no, jokes about Flat-Earthers are about a real group of people who believe the world is flat.

Some people reading this might think that I am also a bit daft now, for not realising that they’re a real group of people. But to you I say really? Are you sure? Because while I did write the above paragraph about realising that they are a real group of people, I’m still having trouble believing it! Or reserving the confidence that the site was set up by a bunch of trolls, not actual believers.

The whole thing is reminding me of seeing American wrestlers as a child for the first time. Even at 4 or 5, with peers who believed it was real, I remember doubting, but being slightly convinced by their conviction. In fact, by the conviction of everyone that watched and got so involved. So even in later years when I had my hunch confirmed, that it’s all just an act, I couldn’t help question the conviction of adults that still watched and took part. It’s just so elaborate and unbelievable, how could anyone suspend enough belief to watch it so intently?

Take these two cases forward now, and apply the miss comprehension to the current US presidential situation. Is that real? Are there actually Trump believers? Are the elaborate unbelievable scenes on TV actually real? How do we know? Seriously? OK, not really seriously, but when the Flat-Earthers FAQ has this response to the question: “People have been into space. How have they not discovered that the earth is flat?” you have to question the mechanics of how anyone believes anything these days:

The most commonly accepted explanation of this is that the space agencies of the world are involved in a conspiracy faking space travel and exploration. This likely began during the Cold War’s ‘Space Race’, in which the U.S.S.R and USA were obsessed with beating each other into space to the point that each faked their accomplishments in an attempt to keep pace with the others supposed achievements. However, since the end of the Cold War, the conspiracy is most likely motivated by greed rather than political gains. Thus opening up a tremendous amounts of funds to embezzle as it only takes a fraction of the total budget to fake space travel.

How is this logic any different to anything that the actual (allegedly) president of the United States applies to climate change or anything else that he states are fact?